


comfort in one another

by Daisies_and_Roses



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Inhuman Powers, Inhuman Skye | Daisy Johnson, Kissing, Light Angst, Medical Procedures, Medical Trauma, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, No Smut, Physical Abuse, Psychological Trauma, Romance, Trauma, f/f - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:07:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25676335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daisies_and_Roses/pseuds/Daisies_and_Roses
Summary: Season 2 or 3 AU. When Simmons is sent on a mission to retrieve intel from a Hydra facility, she wasn't expecting to encounter someone who needed her help. How does this "someone" return the favor? BioQuake! TW: brief mentions of suicidal thoughts and abuse. Rated T for romance. Written as a one-shot but can be more if you want.
Relationships: Jemma Simmons/Skye | Daisy Johnson
Comments: 1
Kudos: 48





	comfort in one another

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is my first fic here on AO3 but I also post often on FanFiction.net (username: Daisies and Roses). This fic can be read as a one-shot but please let me know in the comments if you want me to write more on it. TRIGGER WARNINGS: Physical and mental abuse, brief mention of suicidal thoughts.

Agent Jemma Simmons stared out the thick, bulletproof-glass windows of the SHIELD SUV, watching the dark and depressing buildings and boring cars pass by on the road. She had to stifle a yawn; she'd been up all night reading the schematics for the mission they were currently headed to. They'd landed their quinjet a few miles from the location just to assure they wouldn't get caught.

It was a long-shot of a mission. A "last hope" sort of thing. Hydra was getting to be too powerful for them to overcome, so of course, upon finding out about a relatively understaffed Hydra base, they wanted to go. Director Coulson just hoped to find intel, data, anything. SHIELD could really use anything these days.

"You think you're ready?" Agent Lance Hunter asked Simmons from the seat next to her. He was preparing his handgun, and Jemma couldn't help but tense up a bit at the sight of it. She doubted, or at least _hoped_ , they wouldn't need weapons for this mission, but of course, anything could happen. And guns would never stop making her uncomfortable.

Simmons sighed, running her palms across her thighs. "I suppose."

Hunter turned to look at her face. "Simmons, you know you didn't have to come with us. This is mainly a combat mission."

Simmons scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Lance, I am perfectly capable of assisting you in any technological- "

"Fitz could've done this instead."

"He's busy right now. And Hunter, as if _Fitz_ would be more physically capable than me- "

Hunter chuckled, a smirk on his face as he realized just which buttons to push to make the biochemist angry.

Seeing that he was just messing with her, Jemma let out a huff and turned back to the window, continuing to watch the boring buildings go by. Melinda May sat in the driver's seat, Agent Mack next to her in the passenger's. Both agents were relatively quiet but they were always intuitive listeners; they internally chuckled at the Brits' bickering in the backseat.

Once they got to the base, it wasn't what you'd expect it to be. It was just a simple, plain, unassuming warehouse amongst others of its kind. But the SHIELD agents knew there was more to it than that. This was a Hydra base, a place that held people loyal to the very thing that had wreaked havoc on the organization they'd dedicated their lives to.

After parking across the street, the agents hopped out of the car, May and Simmons going to the west entrance and Mack and Hunter going to the east, planning to rendezvous at the back exit. Simmons clutched her ICER tightly in her hands, being careful not to make it visible to any Hydra agents waiting inside. Jemma had to admit her fear. It never got easier to fight Hydra. Ward was Hydra, and he'd tried to kill her and Fitz, nearly succeeding with the latter.

May noticed Jemma's tenseness and made sure to stand at a protective position of her as May kicked down the door and the two headed inside, keeping a close watch for agents.

"This is a private facility! You're not allowed in here!" an agent wearing all gray shouted. He had no companions with him, clearly showing how understaffed this facility really was.

Before she could think, Jemma had pulled the trigger on her ICER, sending blue into the man's chest and making him collapse onto the floor.

May smirked at Jemma and nodded, impressed.

The women made their way around the facility, searching every room for computers or anything that might have something useful in it. Their efforts remained fruitless, finding nothing but a bunk room and an empty galley. They both hoped the boys had had more success.

* * *

Hunter and Mack ran into all of two guards before finding a room near the center of the building. It was blocked off by a large, thick, vault-like door and a single guard stood in front of it.

Hunter was ready to run up to the guard and shoot her right off the bat, but Mack stopped him before he could round the corner. "Wait," he whispered. He looked at the guard and noticed she was small, and her face was incredibly innocent and youthful. She couldn't be much older than twenty. There was a deep sadness, a deep _hurt_ in her eyes, like she would rather be anywhere but there.

"Why the bloody- "

Mack glared at him. "She's just a kid," he whispered.

"Do you think I give a damn?!" he whisper-shouted.

"You should. I don't think she wants to be here."

"She works for Hydra," Hunter hissed. He pulled out his gun. "That's not acceptable." Before Mack could react, the smaller man rounded the corner and strode toward the young guard, his gun raised.

"You move out of our way or I shoot," Hunter demanded. Alarmed, the girl grabbed for her own gun but before she could get it, she felt a sharp pain in her upper arm. She cried out, grabbing her assaulted arm and falling to her knees, her face scrunched up in pain.

"Hunter!" Mack hissed angrily as he ran to his fellow agent. Hunter was squatted next to the girl, taking her weapons and ID. He used her ID to open the vault door.

"Got it," the Brit said, clicking his tongue in satisfaction.

Mack huffed, weighing the consequences of his friend's actions. He always hated violence, especially when there was ever the possibility of innocence. Inside the vault, the men found a few laptops. They just decided to take all of them; Mack's arms were big enough to take several at a time.

May and Simmons quickly caught up to them, finding the vault right as they walked out with the computers.

"Let me help you with those," May insisted as she took a few of the computers from Hunter's arms.

"Who is this?" Simmons asked as she squatted next to the guard-girl, always concerned about one injured person or another, especially when it was a young (and, though she wouldn't admit it, beautiful) person like this.

Lance reached into his back pocket and pulled out the ID he'd stolen from the girl. "Agent Skye of Hydra," he told Jemma, flipping it around to inspect the back of the card before sliding it back into his pocket.

"She's an agent?" Jemma asked, looking up at Mack and Hunter with confusion in her eyes.

"Not by choice," came a murmur from the girl on the ground. Jemma turned to Skye, knitting her eyebrows with concern.

"Skye, what do you mean by that?" Simmons asked.

Hunter pointed his head in the direction of the exit, May and Mack taking the hint to start leaving. Hunter stayed to wait for Jemma.

"They- " Skye winced at the pain in her arm. The bullet had definitely torn through some muscles. "They kidnapped me two years ago and forced me to join them, otherwise they'd kill me. They just use me now, for my skills and for my...abilities."

"Abilities?" Jemma asked.

Skye nodded. "They don't work as well as they used to, but..." She held up her good arm, pointing it in the direction of the door and sending a vibration to it. The vault door opened more from whatever the girl had shot out of her hand.

"How is that possible?" Jemma asked, more to herself than anyone.

Skye shrugged, wincing at the pain.

Hunter cleared his throat, making the biochemist look up at him. "Let's get going, Agent Simmons."

Simmons narrowed her eyes and stood, walking toward Hunter. Once out of earshot of Skye, she whispered, "I think we should take her in."

Lance shook his head. "Absolutely not. What makes her different from the other agents we shot down?"

Simmons turned to look at Skye. "There's something about her..." She sighed. "She doesn't want to be here. She's enhanced, and...quite frankly, I think we could use a new agent."

"Simmons, you only just met her."

Jemma nodded, crossing her arms. "I know, but I have a feeling she needs us. She's probably never had anyone be there for her in her life. Please Hunter, let me help her."

Lance sighed. After a moment, he rolled his eyes. "Fine. But you'll be the one taking this up with the Director."

Jemma nodded and smiled, satisfied. Hunter started to head toward the exit and she ran up to Skye, gently touching her face to get her attention. The girl's eyes fluttered open.

"Skye, would you like to come with us? We can help you."

Skye swallowed. "I- They'll just come for me no matter where I go..."

Jemma shook her head. "No, I promise you'll be safe with us."

Skye sighed, nodding all-too-quickly. The poor girl had no idea what organization these people belonged to, yet she went with them anyway and trusted them right away. That showed how desperate she was for an escape from Hydra. Jemma made a note of that as she helped Skye to her feet, leading her toward the exit and outside to their car.

Once safely inside the quinjet, Jemma got out the first-aid kit and seated herself next to Skye. "Would you mind letting me fix that up for you?" she asked gently. "I'm a doctor."

Skye nodded, holding out her injured arm and allowing Jemma to gently tear her sleeve, checking for an exit wound (she found one) before cleaning the wound with an alcohol swab and gently injecting the site with numbing medication, making the girl wince. Simmons whispered an apology as she continued her delicate work, eventually managing to stitch her wound neatly and wrap her arm in a clean dressing.

As she was removing her gloves, Skye asked, "So you're SHIELD?"

Jemma nodded, squirting hand sanitizer and cleaning her hands off. "You're safe with us, I promise."

Skye nodded. She was already so grateful for the care this woman had given her. Sure, her friend had been the one to shoot her in the first place (and yeah, he might've been glaring at her from a few seats away), but no one at Hydra had ever shown that kind of concern for her. Whenever she got hurt on a mission, Skye would be left to patch herself up, no matter how bad of a condition she was in. She'd been a lone ranger her whole life, being tossed around from one foster home to another then leaving the system to live in a van alone. Then that dreaded day came, when those agents knocked her unconscious and kidnapped her, bringing her to their facility. And then that awful German scientist said nonsense about her mother (whom she'd never met) and how he was excited to see what she could do for him. Leaving her in the interrogation room alone, a crystal was broken and Skye had no choice but to inhale the mist that escaped from the little thing. She then watched as something black began to cover her skin and everything went black before she felt this sensation...like an earthquake. It rattled her bones and she needed to release it.

She later learned she'd brought that whole base down. No one had been killed but many were injured.

No one taught her how to control her powers properly but from then on, every night before she went to bed, she was forcibly injected with a concoction made to dampen her powers. Skye would never get used to the burning sensation it caused as it coursed through her veins.

Hydra used her for the next two years, shoving her into various bases and facilities to be used as an unassuming guard. The German scientist had lost most interest in the girl after she'd destroyed his base, so he deemed her disposable.

After years of constant abuse by her fellow agents including nearly-nightly beatings, Skye decided she was just _done_. She decided that if she didn't get an escape opportunity in the next week, she'd end all her suffering forever.

Thank God SHIELD found her. Jemma really felt like an angel right now.

* * *

Once they got to the base, Mack, May, and Hunter brought the computers to the lab and met Coulson for debrief while Jemma brought Skye to the interrogation room.

Simmons was always smiling warmly at Skye, making sure the girl felt comfortable and welcome. She asked her about her past and Skye told her everything, from the foster homes to Daniel Whitehall to the daily beatings.

Jemma hated Hydra even more after hearing Skye's story. The poor girl had been through so much in her life and Hydra had exploited her to a point she was so desperate for an escape that she willed her life away.

"Can I get you any food? Water?" Jemma asked after a while.

Skye pulled her legs to her chest as she sat on the metal chair. She looked up at Jemma, surprised. "You want to give me...food?" No one had ever asked her that before.

Simmons nodded.

"I- sure..." Skye answered. Jemma smiled warmly and stood, exiting the room to head toward the common room. She went to the fridge, opening it up and searching for something she thought Skye might like.

"Hunter told me about the girl you brought in," came a voice from behind her, nearly making her jump with surprise. Jemma turned and saw Coulson standing at the counter.

Jemma nodded. "She needs help. Hydra took her and she has no family."

"And she's...enhanced?"

Simmons nodded. "She calls herself an 'Inhuman'. She can...cause earthquakes."

Coulson narrowed his eyes. "Any read on her?"

Simmons sighed. "Hydra has abused her so much I..." She swallowed. "...Quite frankly, I don't know how she's made it through this long. They've been injecting her with something that dampens her powers and beating her every day. She's- I- I think she needs us, sir."

Phil swallowed, thinking. He sighed. "If you trust her, go ahead, fix her up. Bring her to the med bay and see how badly her body has taken this. Get her some food and a comfy bed. She can stay in the spare bunk for now. We can help her, I'm sure we can."

Jemma nodded, satisfied. Coulson started to leave. "Sir?" Phil turned, raising his eyebrows and egging on her response. "Do you think you'd want her as an agent?"

Coulson shrugged. "That will take time. She definitely deserves to be protected by us for now. Do what you can, Dr. Simmons."

Simmons smiled and nodded as he turned back around, heading toward the steps to his office.

* * *

When she heard someone knock on her door, Skye was a bit confused. No one at Hydra ever knocked before entering, they just came in unannounced, shoved her into the wall, and stabbed the needle into her neck. If they didn't do that, they took their anger out on her and beat her to the point she would curl up on her sad excuse of a bed sobbing herself to sleep.

Skye was happy to see Jemma Simmons walk in a moment later. She'd taken a liking to this woman; she had a feeling she was the reason SHIELD had taken her in.

Jemma gave Skye a ham sandwich and a glass of water, and watched her carefully as she ate. The girl scarfed it down in a few minutes, grateful for her own portion of food for once. She looked up at Jemma when she was done, and the biochemist beamed at her.

"Let's go have a look at you, shall we?" she asked cheerfully. Upon Skye's confused expression, she added, "I'll fix your injuries and bruises, Skye, it's okay." She gently caressed her good arm. "We're here to help you."

Skye swallowed but nodded, slowly standing and following Simmons to the medical room in the lab.

Simmons didn't know where to start. The girl's face was covered in cuts and bruises. When she took off her jacket, Jemma noticed the deep purple, yellow, green, and blue bruises covering her arms, some much older than others, most likely from months or even years of people roughly grabbing her by the arm. Simmons also saw the black-and-blue covering her ribs. Her legs seemed to be the only part of her body that was relatively untouched. Nonetheless, Skye was thin and frail, and she was constantly shaky from the lack of nutrition she received. She was also rather jumpy whenever Jemma would try to touch her.

Once she was done with her examination, Simmons gathered a few medications for Skye before handing her a towel and bathrobe. "Skye, I'd imagine you'd like a good shower."

She nodded eagerly.

Jemma smiled. "The locker room is right outside this lab and to the left. I'll meet you outside there in half an hour so I can show you to your bunk."

Skye smiled for the first time at Jemma. "Thank you, Dr. Simmons."

"Oh, please." She chuckled. "Call me Jemma."

"Okay, Jemma." Skye smirked as she left the room, heading in the direction Jemma had told her to go.

Simmons couldn't have been happier. Skye was already beginning to warm up to her. She had a good feeling she could fix her, make her into a good agent and an overall healthy person.

She brought a girl back from certain death today, didn't she?

* * *

After the best shower she'd taken in years, Skye felt very ready for a good night's sleep. Jemma led her to the bunk areas, and she was grateful to have gotten a room to herself. Skye curled into the bed, pulling the luxurious covers over her legs and smiling happy at the soft pillow behind her head. It was the comfiest bed she'd slept in since she was a foster kid.

Simmons couldn't help but admire how adorable Skye looked, all wrapped up in those blankets, a huge, content smile on her face.

"Breakfast is at six in the morning but I can bring you something whenever you want," Jemma told her.

Skye nodded. "Thank you, Jem-ma." She made sure to emphasize the two syllables.

God, Skye was cute. Simmons didn't want to leave her. But, to give her some peace and quiet, she turned to leave.

"Please don't leave," Skye said softly.

The corners of Jemma's lips rose and she walked over to Skye, sitting at the foot of her bed. She patted her foot. "What can I do for you?"

Skye sat up, smiling at Jemma as she scooted closer to her. "Thank you for saving me."

Jemma grinned, taking Skye's hands in her own. "Of course, Skye. I'm glad I could help."

Skye smiled even wider and brought a hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind Jemma's ear. "You know, Jemma, you're really hot for such a smart person." The biochemist blushed, flattered.

"And you're really cute for an Inhuman," she retaliated, gently tapping her nose, making Skye radiate happiness.

After a moment of both girls staring at each other, Jemma blushed again and Skye followed suit, both looking away for a moment, flustered. Both could hardly contain their smiles.

Neither really knew how it happened, but within a few seconds, both girls had their hands on the other's cheeks and a second later their lips were pressed against each other's.

It was a quick, gentle, sweet kiss filled with kind and gentle love. It was over before it started, really, and left both girls radiating love and pure joy. Neither one was ashamed; it felt so natural. It may have been spontaneous but it was filled with love.

Skye was the first one to speak: "Thank you for that." She took so much comfort in the kiss; Jemma had been the only one to be there for her in years and she just wanted to return the favor.

Jemma smiled, still looking down at the floor from mild embarrassment. She'd had no idea Skye felt the same way she did, and it validated her in a way she'd never felt before.

"You- You're welcome," Simmons said quietly as she stood from the bed, wrapping her arms around Skye's shoulders and pulling her into a hug, gently kissing the crown of her head. She pulled away a moment later. "Sleep well."

"I'm sure I will," Skye said, a smile stretching from ear to ear as she snuggled back into bed, watching as Jemma left her room, winking and smiling at her once more before turning off her lights and gently closing her bunk door.


End file.
